Chris Bittle at the Justice and Human Rights Committee

That said, it's now 22 years later. If we're looking at the public's view and Parliament's view, especially of the LGBTQ population, in terms of 1995 and now, why are we anchoring ourselves in public opinion and Parliament's view from that former time? I'll give you an example. You mentioned that this is a unique offence and that criminal law tends to be more general, but we just heard from a police officer, who specializes in hate crimes, that, I believe, 26 or 28 homicides happened in Ottawa last year and that people were upset by that. However, a series of hate crimes happened over a two-week span and there were public meetings and people were terrified. This seems to be a crime that can shake a community to its core, even more so than homicide, which seems to be irrational, but it is the reality of this.

Why should we continue to anchor ourselves in that rationale, given society's movement and the unique nature of this offence?